Road upgrade held up by land deals

An SUV kicks up dust as it drives onto the gravel off Hollywood Road Wednesday afternoon in Houma.

Matt Stamey/Staff

Naomi KingStaff Writer

Published: Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 11:09 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 11:09 a.m.

HOUMA — Negotiating land deals with dozens of property owners is slowing plans to widen South Hollywood Road, a project that's been more than a decade in the making.

The two-lane road is set to be widened to four lanes from La. 311 to Martin Luther King Boulevard for an estimated $8 million. Each lane will also be widened from 10 feet to about 11.8 feet with curbs and gutters instead of the existing gravel shoulders and ditches.

Designs are complete, but land must be purchased on both sides of the street before underground utility lines can be moved and construction can begin.

So far, Terrebonne Parish officials have acquired land from six of the 34 landowners they'll have to negotiate with, said Joan Schexnayder, staff engineer.

The Parish Council hired two appraisers and one negotiator, who began work nearly 11 months ago, Schexnayder said.

The negotiation process has moved slowly because rights-of-way had to be changed to accommodate parking lots and drainage culverts. Each time the rights-of-way for the road were changed, drawings and paperwork had to be re-evaluated by both state and federal transportation officials, Parish Manager Al Levron said. The federal government is paying 80 percent of the project's costs, he said, and with that comes additional requirements.

Negotiations have been complicated because land values in the area keep changing as a result of development, Levron said. Whenever land exchanges hands in an area, market values are affected, he said.

About $2 million has been set aside for the associated land purchases, Levron said. Two appraisals have to be conducted and a third must be approved by the state Department of Transportation and Development, Levron said. Then a negotiator makes offers to landowners, following state Transportation Department guidelines, he said.

If negotiations are unsuccessful, the parish does have the authority to take land through expropriation. But the parish doesn't anticipate having to take land and is still in early negotiations with landowners, Levron said.

“We're not near that point,” he said.

South Hollywood Road is being widened to ease traffic congestion in the area because drivers routinely stall on the narrow road while traveling around retail shops and restaurants along Martin Luther King Boulevard.

That stretch of road has seen three crashes this year, said Maj. Brent Hidalgo of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office. In 2008, there were 30 crashes, and in 2009, drivers were involved in 16 wrecks on the road, he said.

With so many drivers using the road, the parish has already started work on an alternate route to help get drivers between La. 311 and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Matherne Realty Partnership began working in late 2009 to extend Enterprise Drive from its dead end next to Peppers Pizzeria to just across Little Bayou Black at La. 311 and Equity Boulevard. Parish officials are planning to build a $1.65 million bridge this year over Little Bayou Black that will connect La. 311 to the planned Westside Boulevard extension. The bridge will consist of a pair of two-lane spans. The Westside Boulevard extension will eventually intersect with the extended Enterprise Drive.

Staff Writer Naomi King can be reached at 857-2209 or naomi.king@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @HoumaGov.

<p>HOUMA — Negotiating land deals with dozens of property owners is slowing plans to widen South Hollywood Road, a project that's been more than a decade in the making.</p><p>The two-lane road is set to be widened to four lanes from La. 311 to Martin Luther King Boulevard for an estimated $8 million. Each lane will also be widened from 10 feet to about 11.8 feet with curbs and gutters instead of the existing gravel shoulders and ditches.</p><p>Designs are complete, but land must be purchased on both sides of the street before underground utility lines can be moved and construction can begin.</p><p>So far, Terrebonne Parish officials have acquired land from six of the 34 landowners they'll have to negotiate with, said Joan Schexnayder, staff engineer.</p><p>The Parish Council hired two appraisers and one negotiator, who began work nearly 11 months ago, Schexnayder said. </p><p>The negotiation process has moved slowly because rights-of-way had to be changed to accommodate parking lots and drainage culverts. Each time the rights-of-way for the road were changed, drawings and paperwork had to be re-evaluated by both state and federal transportation officials, Parish Manager Al Levron said. The federal government is paying 80 percent of the project's costs, he said, and with that comes additional requirements.</p><p>Negotiations have been complicated because land values in the area keep changing as a result of development, Levron said. Whenever land exchanges hands in an area, market values are affected, he said.</p><p>About $2 million has been set aside for the associated land purchases, Levron said. Two appraisals have to be conducted and a third must be approved by the state Department of Transportation and Development, Levron said. Then a negotiator makes offers to landowners, following state Transportation Department guidelines, he said.</p><p>If negotiations are unsuccessful, the parish does have the authority to take land through expropriation. But the parish doesn't anticipate having to take land and is still in early negotiations with landowners, Levron said.</p><p>“We're not near that point,” he said.</p><p>South Hollywood Road is being widened to ease traffic congestion in the area because drivers routinely stall on the narrow road while traveling around retail shops and restaurants along Martin Luther King Boulevard.</p><p>That stretch of road has seen three crashes this year, said Maj. Brent Hidalgo of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office. In 2008, there were 30 crashes, and in 2009, drivers were involved in 16 wrecks on the road, he said.</p><p>With so many drivers using the road, the parish has already started work on an alternate route to help get drivers between La. 311 and Martin Luther King Boulevard.</p><p>Matherne Realty Partnership began working in late 2009 to extend Enterprise Drive from its dead end next to Peppers Pizzeria to just across Little Bayou Black at La. 311 and Equity Boulevard. Parish officials are planning to build a $1.65 million bridge this year over Little Bayou Black that will connect La. 311 to the planned Westside Boulevard extension. The bridge will consist of a pair of two-lane spans. The Westside Boulevard extension will eventually intersect with the extended Enterprise Drive.</p><p>Staff Writer Naomi King can be reached at 857-2209 or naomi.king@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @HoumaGov.</p>